Rich Miller of Capitol Fax has a story about Saturday’s State Journal-Register story about Jack Frank’s effort to damage McHenry County Board members by stimulating a Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund investigation of whether they qualify.
“As we’ve discussed before, Rep. Jack Franks has kicked up a hornet’s nest in McHenry County by highlighting a state law which requires county board members to work 1,000 hours per year as part of their agreement to participate in their pension plan.”
Miller highlights the problem that Democratic Party Sangamon County Board member Tony DelGiorno will have with the issue in his race to unseat appointed Republican State Rep. Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez.
As with some McHenry County Board members, DelGiorno didn’t get very good information when he was introduced to county board employment documents.
He realizes he isn’t working 1,000 a year. (“I highly doubt it.”)
And, as with more than one McHenry County Board member, he didn’t realize he couldn’t get out once he signed up.
And DelGiorno is an attorney.
Little wonder that non-attorney McHenry County Board members didn’t understand the implications of signing paperwork to participate in the IMRF pension program.
State Rep. Jack Franks is sponsor of Pam Althoff’s Senate Bill 2701 addressing the problem.
Here’s what it does not:
Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a person who holds elective office as a member of a governing body of a participating municipality shall not be considered a participating employee, unless
(1) the person has elected to become a participating employee;
(2) the governing body has filed a resolution certifying that a person in that position is expected to work more than 600 hours (or 1,000 hours if the participating municipality has adopted a specified resolution); and
(3) the person has submitted logs evidencing that he or she has met the hourly standard.
Requires the resolution to be adopted and filed with the Fund no more than 90 days after the general election in which any member of the governing body was elected.
Requires participating governing body members to file the log with the authorized agent of the participating municipality.
The bill could be amended, of course, now that Franks is figuring out that not just Republicans in McHenry County could be hurt by his campaign against them.
After all, criminal charges was what Franks wanted brought against McHenry County Board members.
House Speaker Mike Madigan might even take notice.
He undoubtedly wants DelGiorno to beat the Springfield-area woman that Governor Bruce Rauner got appointed to replace Raymond Poe when he was appointed Ag Department Director.
And the Speaker wouldn’t want criminal charges brought against his candidate before the election.
Ummm….. “I didn’t read my employment contract,” isn’t a valid excuse to not following the rules.
Is they were at will employees, they’d be fired.
“Fiscal Conservatives” ought to cheer at this.
A less than part time job shouldn’t entail receiving a pension.
He should be working to help balance the budget in Illinois.
Nothing like a little swerve and deflect.
LOL
Ironic: “Fighting Corruption” is against fighting corruption!
I did a FOIA for the exact same information that is handed out to new employees on the IMRF plan and the 457 plan offered to county employees.
The county gives virtually no information on the IMRF plan’s benefits or restrictions–merely a form to sign up and a form to designate beneficiaries for IMRF plan.
For the 457 plan it’s another story.
The amount of reading envolved to grasp the benefits of the 457 plan is arduous in comparison.
I also wonder why the county gives no “employer match” to those participating in the 457 plan??
It is obvious why 266 county employees are enrolled in the 457 plan vs 1104 enrolled in IMRF.
The county will never get away from IMRF if they keep presenting the plans as they do currently.
Some due diligence should be put forward by Human Resources.
Just out of curiosity what does the county board members get for a pension and what does Jack Franks and the legislatures get for a pension?
I remember seeing I think a while back here about what the county puts in for there pensions but don’t know what they receive?
What does the state legislatures pay into and get?
Is it automatic once they become board members or state legislatures?
Those elected to the legislature have to sign up.
David McSweeney did not.
What about the ones that did in McHenry County?
What species of uneducated parasite signs on to a pension plan without reading a word about the terms and conditions?
Oh.
Non-attorney board members didn’t understand the paperwork?
But they understand county paperwork right?
Non-attorney citizens sign paperwork everyday.
what is your point?
I am kinda curious about how much time our elected officials spend at work in Springfield 4 days a week?
not including drive time and lunches (because the average working person don’t get paid for that).
They get several weeks off a year (like teachers).
Maybe 6-8 hours a day x 4 days= 24-32 hours? How many weeks are they off in Springfield?
They should have to follow the same rules as the working IMRF employees and have to work at least 1000 hours a year, to be eligible for the pension.
Maybe they do, I don’t know.
The transparency rules on employees should be the same for the elected.
Municipalities have to track he hours the workers the state should to.
I tried to look this up on line cant find anything about the hours worked by the elected in Springfield,
Anyone have any info please respond.
Martha, sounds like you are ripe to be elected to Comgress –
I hear they don’t read bills there and pass them just to see what is in them!
Moderate do not minimize what I do, while at the same time you promote your own agenda.
Before you go make assumptions about Congress via the children’s game of telephone, go talk to your Senators and the people from the House of Representatives. and get your facts straight.
Gosh, how many third parties did you get your information from?
Sheesh, you should not be playing telephone at your age. Grow up!
Sure hope your’e not running for office anytime soon.
@Kelly-
there is no question whether a full time county employee is working the 1,000.
The BOARD raised the requirement from 600 hours to 1,000 hours.
DO not tell me they didn’t understand the amount of time- 1,000 is more than 20 hours a week on county work- not political work, not attending political party functions- COUNTY work.
No way – NO WAY is that happening.
You think these people are working 60 hours a week? ( 40 their regular job and 20 for the county? )
Your fiscal conservatives are taking a pension ans taxpayer paid healthcare while they cast stones at everyone else.
@Fighting Corruption – So should I ask my representative and Senator to deal with the problem that you say they shouldn’t be focused on because they should be focused on the budget….
Uh huh….
Some members of Congress may have their issues.
However, to say that all of them don’t read the bills and just pass them is just not true.
If you have problems with the members of Congress that represent you and others, talk to your Senator and make it known.
Be proactive, don’t assume that everyone is guilty as that is just not realistic.
Looks like Mr. Jack Franks is quite the hypocrite when it comes to demanding some public officials be criminally investigated for a felony because they took a pension for an average of $325 @ month, versus his Fat Cat legislative pension that will pay him (according to IL Commission on Forecasting & Accountability, 2015) approximately $51K annually, with a projected $2.5 Million in lifetime benefits.
Somehow, Jackster is fine to take his pension even though as a legislator he has failed to make sure there is enough money invested to pay for his pension.
Oh well, maybe that is because he knows his pension benefit is constitutionally protected, so us over-taxed duped Illinois taxpayers will have to absorb his pension too…mmm, seems Jack’s hypocrisy knows no bounds!
For more information read below or go to:
https://illinoyances.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/putting-a-face-on-public-pensions/
How much will JACK FRANKS be paid upon retirement (or defeat in the 2016 election)?
After this, his 9th term, Jack is eligible to receive a monthly pension equal to 75% of his final salary (if he wins, that percentage caps at 85% after his 10th term).
Based on his annual salary of $67,836 (not including additional amounts for being a committee chair), Jack will be eligible for a legislative pension of $50,880 per year, or $4,240 per month, again, for life.
In the late 1990’s when I was in the Illinois House, I was in Springfield about 25% of the time.
The rest of the time I was doing casework in my Crystal Lake office.
With aggresive behavior like this from Frank’s, how does he think He will get elected & be able to work with board members that remain ?
Trying to do away with all the part time employee pensions would be the Right way to go about the pension issue.
Good example of why this ‘career politician’ should NOT be
E!ected to ANY POSIION in McHenry County.
We don’t need politicians in our county like this !